The Oregon Ducks (30-22) found themselves in a familiar hole Tuesday as they watched their starting pitcher make an early exit, leaving a two-run deficit behind him. Between innings, Assistant Coach Wasikowski delivered a fiery mid-inning speech and his players seemed to snap back into consciousness.
“Waz brought us together and talked about how we need to put our foot on their throat, so to say, end an opponent,” third baseman Mitchell Tolman said. “That’s something this year we haven’t done,”
Following Wasikowski’s pep talk, the Ducks posted seven runs in the next two innings of offense and played seven innings of shutout defense. Oregon improves to 15-0 all-time against the Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-25) with the 9-4 home win.
The Ducks rallied in the first inning to set the tone and put the game’s first runs on the scoreboard. Scott Heineman’s base hit through the hold between shortstop and third scored Mitchell Tolman and Phil Craig-St. Louis, who each singled with two outs.
Oregon starting pitcher Kohl Hostert struggled with command and left the game earlier than planned. Gonzaga starting pitcher Tyler Frost launched a solo home run off Hostert in the second inning. His teammates followed with two walks and two doubles. Fellow freshman Brac Warren relieved Hostert after four runs in just 1.1 innings.
The Ducks took advantage of Gonzaga’s collapse on defense to regain the lead in the third. After Austin Grebeck scored on a wild pitch, Brandon Cuddy singled up the middle with two men on base. St. Louis scored his second run on the hit, and Scott Heineman scored from first on the center fielder’s throwing error. Daniel Patzlaff’s single scored Cuddy and extended Oregon’s lead to 6-4.
Tolman stayed scorching hot from the weekend series against Washington State, when he hit .429 including two doubles. He delivered the blast of the night with a three-run home run to right, the Ducks’ first since April 19 and his third of the season. Tolman’s 31 career multi-RBI games now ties the Ryon Healy’s Oregon all-time record. He broke Healy’s all-time record for career RBIs on Sunday, and currently owns 123 in less than three years in the uniform. Tolman is one double away from tying Healy’s school record 43 career doubles.
“I’ve been getting good pitches to hit,” Tolman said. “I feel like hitting is contagious, and when other guys are hitting around me I feel good.”
Warren and pitcher Cooper Stiles combined for 7.2 innings of shutout relief.
“We have an incredible defense,” Warren said. “I just had the mentality to throw strikes and let the defense work behind me.”
Austin Grebeck collected four hits for his second time as a Duck. He and Tolman combined for seven hits.
“I’m starting to get back into the swing of things,” Grebeck said. “Whenever you start swinging the bats well it’s gonna be a fun time.”
With eight regular season games left to play, the Ducks will take on the Bulldogs again tomorrow, 7 p.m. at P.K. Park.
“Every game that we have left is critical if we want to keep playing after the regular season,” manager George Horton said. “We start with  tomorrow.”
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby